We all have a relationship with ourselves and we project this perspective of ourselves onto the world at large. How we view ourselves can affect the quality of our relationships, our professional prospects, our job satisfaction, and our inner well-being or emotional health. When we experience traumatic events or must deal with the aftermath of physical or emotional abuse, our emotional health is affected.
Negative or low emotional health may manifest in poor self-worth, low self-esteem, and behavioral issues. To complicate matters, the presence of undiagnosed mood disorders—such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder—further influences our behavior and how we see our place in the world. Our coping skills can consist of self-medicating and addiction, including prescription medication, alcohol, and illegal substances.
Begin By Getting Help
Following detox—where we rid ourselves of harmful substances—a period of intense rehabilitation follows. During this phase of treatment, we are encouraged to rethink how we see ourselves versus the person we wish to become. Through various approaches in therapy and group support, we begin the process of reinventing ourselves, imagining what our lives might look like, free from the drive and preoccupation of satisfying our addictions.
As you move through rehabilitation and into aftercare, the following may help frame the way you reinvent or re-brand yourself. Keep a notebook handy; jotting down ideas about your future self can open your mind to new opportunities. It also provides a tangible progress record for days when you think change or reinvention is not happening fast enough. Keep these things in mind:
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Have a Relationship With Yourself
When we think of ourselves as our own built-in companion, it makes it easier to think of our life in a holistic way. It is easier to be kind to ourselves and less judgmental. We may see ourselves as products of adverse events; however, we can change our response to those events. We have control over how we respond to situations.
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Be Proactive
You don’t have to be a victim to anything in life; this includes your addiction. Addiction is something that needs to be overcome, and you will survive it. Being proactive empowers you to make choices as you realize that you get to choose how to respond, no matter what comes your way. This does not always mean you will react in an ideal way; nobody does that. However, it does mean you can approach things and take action to the best of your ability at a particular time.
This also includes your addiction. You can accept it as part of who you are now. You can understand how managing your addiction will always be present in your life as you work hard to prevent relapse. You can refuse to allow the negative impact of addiction to continue writing your narrative.
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Keep Moving Forward
Every action you take is a step toward the future version of yourself. This proactive attitude has the power to elevate you from victim to survivor. Survivor is where you want to be. A survivor mentality understands the importance of quality support and quality friends and will remind you to attend peer support groups.
Understanding that your actions make small improvements to your life over time can help sustain you on the long journey to drug-free or alcohol-free living. Small, incremental steps build resilience and better experiences. It is great when huge changes happen overnight, but those are rare and not always sustainable. Taking it one step at a time can help set you up for long term successes.
We all have relationships with ourselves. How we view ourselves affects the quality of our relationships, our inner well-being, and our emotional health. When we think of ourselves as our own companions, we can think of our life in a more holistic way. We may see ourselves as products of adverse events; however, we can change our response to those events. Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains’ inspiring landscape, the Detox Center of Colorado offers a solution-based transitional residence program aimed at accountability and recovery. No matter how far you’ve come on your journey to substance abuse or mental health recovery, we look forward to helping you explore the range of supportive treatment and aftercare options available to you. Call the Detox Center of Colorado at (303) 952-5035.
